by K. E. Young
I pulled the remnants of my composure together. My limbs shook with reaction. I hadn't consciously realized that I loved Kaio but now I'd said it, I realized it was true. It had snuck up on me. Over the past few days, I had come to trust him more than anyone else in existence. He made me feel safe, cared for, loved, even cherished. He treated me the same way my father had treated my mother before he died. I realized with a pang how lost and devastated my mother must have felt. Through the bond, I could feel Kaio's love and support so I didn't have to doubt, and I didn't have to hide. Despite my anger at Ren, a thrill of giddy happiness trailed through me at the knowledge I loved Kaio.
I sobered quickly. As mad as I was at Kaio's father, as much as I wanted to make him go away, I couldn't right now. The mages helping me had told me Ren knew more about magic than anyone else did and I needed his help. There was something off and it bothered me. Something more than what he said. I would have to think about it later though. Right now, I had more important concerns.
"I'm not happy with you but I must get over it. All I ask is you stop punishing Kaio for something outside his control."
He gave me a forced smile and nodded. "I will try."
"That's a good start. Now, I understand you know a lot about magical theory. I need to know how they made the valbore so I can figure out how to unmake them. Can you help?" I could see Blas's sudden grin in my peripheral vision and I felt much more hopeful.
Urash: 34th of Hunting, 3837
Gelal was skimming reports from the teams mapping the sewers when he re-entered their temporary war room.
"I spoke with the researchers I tasked with verifying Kaio and Dragos' theories. They agree. It's been the same group all along."
Gelal looked up at Urash's words and swore. "Demon spit! So they are to blame for the deaths of so many of our ancestors."
"It's worse than that. Sara has found evidence linking the Accusers to the Arboren." Urash searched for a clean cup among the many on the tray. Finding one at last, he poured himself some wine.
"Any luck on remembering where you've heard the name before?"
Urash gulped half the cup before answering. "No. I was going to ask Ren about it but I didn't think the time to do it was while I accused him of treason. I'll ask him later if there's time. Meanwhile, I want you to spread the news to the troops. Tell them the Arboren are the ones at fault for our dead. All our dead. Hundreds of years' worth. The Arboren are now prey. We will have Ikkim-Daymu."
Gelal's grin was feral and promised blood as he stood and hurried out to fulfill his Emperor's decree.
Urash swirled the remains of his wine. Ikkim-Daymu. Blood vengeance. The Arboren had made their last enemy.
Kaio: 34th of Hunting, 3837
When Kaio got to the library that evening to collect Sara she was sitting next to his father. They had their heads together discussing theory. Captain Blas stood off to the side with a bemused expression.
"He hasn't caused her any problems, has he?"
The captain's grin was quick and reassuring. "No. She pinned him to the wall and took him apart, then asked him for help. This has done her good. I got the feeling she rarely stands up for herself, but she was determined to stand up for you. Once she had a good fire going she let it all out." He huffed a laugh. "She was angriest at his treatment of you though. She got loud over it. He's been eating out of her hand ever since. I don't think she's done with him though. Something about how she looked at him. Anyway, I don't think you need to worry anymore."
"I've found that she's good at spotting those things we all try not to let anyone see. She's like Dragos that way. I believe she's always been on the outside so she's learned to watch more carefully. She sees what everyone else misses. I'm glad I don't need to worry he'll hurt her in one of his crusades."
"Kaio!" Sara had spotted him and jumped up to run over to him. Kaio caught her as she stumbled and groaned.
Concern shot through him. "Sara? What's wrong?"
Sara waved off his concern. "I'm fine. I spent too long sitting today so I've stiffened up and it caught me by surprise. I' should have Calum and Thorn remind me to move around more tomorrow. They keep interrupting me to get me to eat anyway." She gave him a sheepish smile.
"The fact you have no healing assists at the moment may have something to do with it too. They dull pain and loosen muscles as well as speed healing. I can have Master Bedin reapply the assists if you feel you're recovered enough from yesterday." He held her close enjoying the feel of her. He had gotten used to her constant presence and had missed her more than he had expected.
"Not yet. I'm still feeling drained. Maybe tomorrow. Your father and I have been talking. You were right. I do enjoy talking about magic with him although I'm still mad at him for that note.
"We've made a lot of progress. We're sure we know how the Mage-Kings built the prisons. I was right, the trap spell is part of it but it anchors the valbore to ahaynu rather than a place. They can't ride a steed out of the prison due to its nature. It has to get out to even reach a host. The Arboren need to set up a connection to the prison to feed it, but the connection isn't strong enough to carry the valbore because it's too powerful, the link would shatter under the strain. It's like a bridge made of brittle sticks. Insects can cross because they're small and light, but an animal or a person would break it.
"In addition, we think we know how the Arboren have been locating and summoning them. We have several theories on how the Accusers created the valbore, but we need more information. There's another line of research we'll be following up on tomorrow so I have hope." She grinned. "Did you know valbore is a bastardization of the original name for them? They were called Val'Ar Arboren. It means 'Servant of the Arboren'."
He had to laugh. Her enthusiasm and sheer joy at telling him about her progress made him happy. "It sounds as if you've had a productive day. I, however, spent too much time in meetings although I took time to inspect the refugee camps. We have dragonkin making flights to collect supplies for them. The evacuation has disrupted the usual trade routes. Vallen has offered aid, but we don't trust it given what we've figured out about the conspirators. We're holding off on accepting their offer for now. Teams are mapping the old sewers with the help of the local thieves.
"This afternoon, we verified that we trapped the valbore in Dagresh's sacrifice chamber. It has several exits so we're mapping out all of the other paths and putting up shields at each entrance. It doesn't prevent the valbore from escaping since they can go right through the walls, but it will keep anyone it calls from being able to get to it. We had to restrain a few of the thieves we were working with anyway. If the valbore can't call anyone to it then it can't ride them out of the trap and it's stuck, slowly starving."
"Good. I've hated the thought it might pull someone else into that horror. I've learned more of what they're capable of today and they're even more horrifying than I thought. They're pure malice."
Kaio nodded agreement. "This is the first time we've been able to trap a valbore before it got free and began killing. We're using tactics we've never been able to use before. Normally, we would be preparing to lock it away again now, but we're hoping you can come up with a better alternative. I know you can do it."
A new voice intruded. "I'm inclined to agree. Sara doesn't think the way we do. She sees our assumptions for what they are and demands clarification. It is part of being a programmer she says. You must clearly define everything or it doesn't work. I'm hoping she can train others in the same skills." Ren's deep voice was hesitant, unsure of his welcome.
Kaio looked at his father. Ren seemed smaller than he remembered. It seemed the censure he received from both the Emperor and Sara was having an effect. Kaio hoped the incidents broke through the wall around his father's opinions. Ren badly needed a wider view. "I believe a fresh viewpoint is what we needed more than anything else."
Kaio turned back to Sara. "So what next?"
Sara grinned at him. "I have a few questions. Some of the records I went th
rough today date from the early Mage-King era right after they arrived in this world from their homeland. They were Nakairi too! Somewhat. They were refugees."
She gave her head a little shake. "Anyway, the records mention dragons. Not dragonlords or dragonkin. Dragons. Warriors rode them into battle. The Mage-Kings were mages and scholars, but they talked about the warriors as a separate group that came through from their homeland with them. Guards or something similar, the records aren't clear, but Ren said dragons don't exist here other than as the other half of a dragonkin. So what happened to them? And where did the dragonkin come from?"
Kaio felt a little stunned and his mind scrambled to come up with an answer. "I wish I had a good answer for you Sara, but dragonkin lost their earliest history during the reign of the Mad King. Other than a few vague children's stories, I don't know. The Mad King ruled Drakken roughly two thousand years ago. At first, he was simply proud and arrogant but he devolved into full insanity. He thought the people's reverence for the ancestors detracted from their reverence for his greatness so burned the libraries and the archives. He also killed many scholars and librarians. It was what sparked the uprising. We lost almost everything except for texts on combat magic that weren't in the library."
Sara looked thoughtful. "King? Not Emperor?"
Kaio shook his head. "The Empire dates from shortly after the fall of the Mage-Kings. The refugees fleeing the Mage-King territories settled Direnis, and the nulls had already settled Akkad. Both asked to be under Drakken's protection in such unsettled times. Thus the Empire was born."
"Huh. I'll want to know more about all that later. So where did the dragons go?"
"I do not know My One."
"One other thing I came across that caught my attention. During the war with the Accusers, the Waste changed. It was created during a civil war a couple thousand years before the Accusers. The Waste was blasted and all of the cities destroyed, but it wasn't lifeless. Plants, animals, insects, and birds all lived here, not enough to support a large population of men, but life nonetheless. Then one day something happened that drained the waste of all life and magic. Afterward, it was much as it is now. Sterile. Hollow. The Mage-Kings knew the Accusers had something to do with it, but couldn't figure out what had happened. Not long after that, the valbore showed up and they dropped the investigation to deal with more immediate matters.
Sara's expression showed concern. "From what I understand the borders of the Waste haven't changed at all since then and life still doesn't exist here. Not a single blade of grass. People who spend too much time here sicken and if they don't leave, they die. That's why I thought it was interesting. Is that why I'm not recovering the way the healer expected me to? Would I recover more quickly if I weren't in the Waste?"
Kaio didn't have an answer. It wasn't something he had considered. He took her in his arms and thought about it. The world did have a dull, lifeless feel here. His dragon hated it. Maybe there was something to her fears. The Drakkeni had made camp in the Waste for security reasons. The archive was dangerous all by itself and they needed to keep troublemakers away from it. Add the threat of what they now knew to be the Arboren, the safety considerations of having the Emperor with them, and the desire to keep the lords isolated from their resources so they couldn't get in the way or cause more trouble. The Waste wasn't considered dangerous in doses of a week or less. They had considered it ideal for what they expected to be a short-term camp. Especially since most of those in the camp could fly from the Waste at will. Perhaps they hadn't realized the full impact of spending time there.
Maybe he should have his mother move their camp to the Hive. He could carry Sara to the current resting place of the archive every day. She would at least get to rest at night in a place where she could recover properly. It was too late for it tonight, but tomorrow…
Sara: 34th of Hunting, 3837
I bid goodbye to Ren and Kaio took me back to Zenra's camp. Dinner was waiting. As usual of late, I was starving and didn't pay much attention to the conversation at the table. Kaio spent much of the meal quietly talking with his mother. She seemed solemn, but it wasn't surprising given the situation.
My thoughts turned towards Ren. My studies for the day were over and what he had said still bothered me. 'Is he?' The words echoed. They looked exactly alike. How could Ren doubt that Kaio was his son?
After Kaio and I had gone to bed and settled for the night, I asked him. "Kaio? Tell me about your father. Why does he doubt you're his son?"
He jerked. "What? He doubts I'm his son? Mother would never do that to him."
"I don't know. Something he said. I said you were his son and asked him how he could treat you the way he does and he said 'Is he? The court isn't so sure. He could be Rhal's'. That tells me he's not sure you're his son."
"This is the first I've heard of it. He and Rhal looked much alike, but not identical. I'm definitely his son. I have traits I couldn't have gotten from either mother or Rhal."
"Huh. Something to look into later." I was silent for a few moments as I drifted closer to sleep. "Kaio?"
"What is it, My One?"
"I learned something else today. I learned that I love you." My thoughts became blurrier as sleep loomed. "I hadn't even realized it until I was yelling at your father. I thought you should know."
He kissed my forehead. "I love you too Sara. More than I can say. Thank you for telling me."
"Sleep well Kaio." I brushed my lips against his skin.
He hugged me tightly. "Sleep well, Sara."
And I did.
13: Search
Sara: 35th of Hunting, 3837
The next morning was cloudy and snow threatened.
Ren was already at work when I arrived. All day we searched through the archives of the early Mage-Kings and what I saw raised more questions. However, most of those questions had no bearing on the current circumstances and I simply made note of them for later study.
Ren was the one to find documents detailing the fate of the dragons. Evidently, the Arboren had discovered that dragons were immune to control and the Val'Ar Arboren could not feed on them. The Arboren targeted them as the greatest threat and killed the last females. No females, no more dragons. The Goddess stepped in and merged the remaining dragons with their warrior companions. The first dragonkin came to be.
They found that when the warriors shifted into dragon form, the dragon dealt with the nitty-gritty details of the physical allowing the warrior's mind to focus on strategy and tactics. They became even more effective than they had been before. This effectiveness allowed them to defeat the Arboren and their armies while the scholars and mages dealt with the Val'Ar Arboren, trapping and dismantling them.
The descriptions of the trapping process were similar to what their descendants used to trap the valbore, but the dismantling process, while it worked well on Val'Ar Arboren, hadn't worked on the valbore. The two types of demons had some fundamental difference we hadn't identified yet. If we could figure out how they created the valbore, we might make it into a Val'Ar Arboren though. Then the dismantling procedure should work.
It was useful information, but not enough. I kept looking.
Kaio: 35th of Hunting, 3837
Kaio's day had been busy and he was weary. He had lead a team of dragonkin combing through the abandoned portions of the city for food and blankets. Tickets with an inventory of what they took were left at each location and logged. After they defeated the valbore, they would return or replace all of it. Dragos had mandated that the estates of those lords who fled would go towards the cost. Non-dragonkin were no longer allowed in the city for any reason. The valbore had increased its efforts to call someone to it. The shield was in place so those outside it couldn't feel the call, but they would feel it the moment they stepped across that line.
Ren had agreed that the peculiarities of the Waste might delay Sara's recovery, so Kaio had taken the time to get a camp set up for Sara and himself south of the Hive. His mother had joined
him. Zenra had spent the rest of her day helping get healer's tents set up where people could get to them. Winter was a bad time for people to live in such conditions.
Sara: 35th of Hunting, 3837
Eventually, I found it. The document was an early Mage-King translation of an Arboren manual made shortly after they defeated the Arboren. It started as a basic primer on magic but progressed significantly. Demon summoning, binding, the effects of various types of manipulation. Someone had filed it as magical theory. While it contained magical theory, that designation was incomplete at best.
Skimming through the volume it occurred to me that the various attempts that the Accusers had done before creating the final valbore might have been attempts to recreate the manual that lay before me. I wondered if the Mage-Kings had realized they had the answer the whole time but I doubted it.
I read the manual through closely. Creating a Val'Ar Arboren was taxing. A mage's power alone wasn't enough. The Arboren had sacrificed the life force of between eighty and a hundred and fifty slaves to create each one. The little manual made my stomach turn, but it had most of the answers I had been looking for. I knew what the Accusers had been trying for, and I had a good idea where they had botched it. Partly.
The valbore had been a failure. A dangerous failure. The Accusers hadn't been the mages the original Arboren had been and their descendants were even less so. The biggest remaining question was where they had gotten the power to do this. I had found nothing in the archives to indicate that Accusers had used people to create the valbore, much less so many. There were almost a dozen valbore. If they had followed the Arboren manual, they would have had to sacrifice well over a thousand lives. The sacrifices for a valbore all had to be of a single type too. Ren theorized the energy had to synchronize into a single whole and differences in life force components might cause the Val'Ar Arboren to dissipate or shatter during creation.
